Big Media Pay: Who Were 2012’s Highest Paid CEOs?

No surprise about who topped the list of 2012’s highest paid CEOs at the media companies whose compensation practices I track most closely. (See here for an explanation). CBS’ Les Moonves returns to the head of the pack with $62.2M, even though his package was 11.1% smaller than it was in 2011. That was an anomaly: The top 20 collectively made $542.7M, up from $416.6M in 2011, according to company proxy statements filed at the SEC. It took $25.9M to crack the Top 10 — last year Time Warner Cable’s Glenn Britt made it with $16.4M. The most notable change in this year’s list vs 2011 is the jump by Liberty Media’s Greg Maffei to No. 2 from No. 28 as his company adjusted stock options just in case the feds change the corporate deduction this year for performance-based compensation.

Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer also joins the top 10 following her move there from Google. Her appearance also highlights a quirk in this year’s list which has more CEOs than companies: Yahoo had three CEOs last year (Mayer is still there) and there were two apiece at Sirius XM (James Meyer replaced Mel Karmazin) and Cinemark (Tim Warner is now in charge). Also, remember that this list just includes corporate CEOs, not division chiefs or board chairs. I’ll be back soon with a list of the highest-paid media execs. The numbers on the right are the amount in millions of dollars for the total compensation as reported by each company.

15 Comments

If you do the math on the percentage of females in the C-suite, this salary list is a scandal sheet not for the dollars.

Tess • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

that is exactly what I was thinking too.

expat • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

I guess they just can’t cut it.

Susie • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

No executive is worth this kind of money. This is absurd and lets not forget their stock options and expense reimbursements! This is insanity. Us office folks and development folks make nothing and sweat to keep our jobs. Insanity………….

Stella • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Here is the truth of Hollywood – women don’t count for much. Women are out of the loop in every way. Nothing tells the truth more than these photographs.

EK • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Women run a lot of TV, especially in the broadcast realm. For whatever reason TV is less of an all-boys club.

Bill • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Not true. TV pays women less for the same job, in SAG and WGA in particular. The WGA’s latest stats at the rate of improvement it will only take 42 years for women writers to get financial and employment parity to men.

Dick • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Such diversity. Great to see some white men are finally being allowed their due. Their struggle has been historic with so many cards stacked against them on their way up the ladder. The fact white men have made it all is a testament to their courage and perseverance.

DirectorRick • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Wow. Great comment. Times like these need acknowledgement of the significant accomplishments against all odds of white men. Nicely said.

SALLY JO • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

You are insane.

El Gato • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

You crybaby women are entirely missing the point. No one deserves that kind of pay for doing very little. It’s always the workers who make any endeavor work, and they get cheated by the top greedy leaders. Greed is the norm in corporate America, and people accept it and hope they can strike it rich. Thus, lawsuits for crazy things, with crazy awards by stupid juries, overpaid sports figures who are merely playing a game. We are indeed “the great satan”.

Jim • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Are you kidding me. You could not handle being a CEO for a week. If you think it is such an easy job then why are you not on track to be one. It takes a lot of business knowledge and people skills to run a major company. Look at the lifespan of of an average CEO, they live 10-15 years shorter then most Americans in the world…

Job Stats • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Women not men hold the majority of minimum wages jobs in America. They are paid almost 20% less on the dollar for every dollar a man makes. They are treated as slave labor and don’t move up.

mag • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Ohhhh so that’s where the shareholders $$$$ go. And when the company financial results aren’t doing well for the year, the first to go? The needed mid to lower level employees doing the actual work cuz there won’t be any skimming off the cream…

And this compensation doesn’t account for what they get away with expensing back to the company,and other undisclosed perks.

JorgeW Sientate • on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm

Nice to see this diversity…I can only say, ” I feel sorry for the white-men who rule the world without opposition of challenge””.. Oh did i mention things are changing so exponientely-fast; time is up we DO NOT TRUST ANYTHING EURO-CENTRIC>>>